“The CTSI is a vehicle to bring together people from different points of view to examine real medical problems,” said Dr. Lawrence Sinoway, CTSI director. “The projects are a real manifestation of our mission.”

Of the 32 research teams that applied, nine were selected for funding, for a total of $418,762 awarded. Researchers can now implement their ideas in hopes that they will one day translate to practical use.

The primary investigators of the projects represent four colleges.

From the College of Health and Human Development:

-- Kathleen Keller, Department of Nutritional Sciences, is developing a curriculum to teach children to recognize signs of hunger and fullness.

-- Mark Greenberg, Department of Human Development and Family Studies, is examining the effects of a mindfulness training program, or meditation, on first-year college students’ health and well-being.

From the College of Engineering:

-- Francesco Costanzo, Department of Engineering Science and Mechanics, is developing a model for clot removal in the treatment of acute stroke.

-- Siyang Zheng, Department of Biomedical Engineering, is developing a nanotechnology device for use in point-of-care blood preparation and diagnosing infectious diseases.

From Eberly College of Science:

-- Kateryna Makova, Department of Biology, is examining the oral and gut micro-organisms in newborns to determine if there is a link to childhood obesity.

From the College of Medicine:

-- Ming Wang, Department of Public Health Sciences, is determining risk factors as well as geographical and physical variations in prostate cancer.

-- Gregory Lewis, Department of Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation, is using sensors in braces that support bones after fractures to better predict the amount of healing.

-- Dr. Philippe Haouzi, Department of Medicine, is determining the ability of vitamin B12 to prevent the effects of chronic exposure to hydrogen sulfide gas.

Susan McHale, director of the Penn State Social Science Research Institute, was pleased with the number of research teams that applied for and received funds.

“These numbers reflect both the interdisciplinary diversity of interest in addressing the problems of human health and Penn State's broad strength in addressing the challenges of health promotion and disease prevention and treatment,” she said.

The Novel Methodologies in Health Research RFA was revealed at the CTSI’s annual event Jan. 8. The event featured topics such as devices in health care research, team science and community research. The funding opportunity revolved around these topics and encouraged cross-discipline collaborations that use novel research methodologies.